González: The new separate and unequal

Education is the most powerful tool we have. It is the one thing that can transform lives, break the cycle of poverty and allow us to realize the possibilities of an equal society.

In fact, quality public schools are like air. We take it for granted but can't live without it.

Even though the vast majority of us understand the power of education and the necessity of a public school system, many incorrectly assume that because we’ve had public schools in our state for so long, they will always exist.

In 2011, all of this was brought into sharp focus during one of my doctoral classes. The professor walked in with a frightened look on his face, saying, “This is the end of public schools as we know it.”

At first, his words seemed extreme. But, after serving on the House Public Education Committee and now beginning my third term in the Texas Legislature, it is clear that his words reflect reality.

In 2011, the Legislature cut $5.4 billion in public education funding and implemented a testing regime that centered accountability on a dehumanizing, ineffective standardized test.

In short, schools would get a lot less money while facing impossible standards. It was as if schools were intentionally being set up to be labelled as failures. Why do you think campuses are now being labeled A through F?

Creating the perception of failing public schools in the minds of the public was necessary to fuel the “school choice” movement.

Listening to the political rhetoric at the state and national level, this strategy seems to have been effective. Instead of a collective discourse on strengthening and funding our public schools, the conversation centers on supporting charter expansion and vouchers.

The expansion of “school choice” translates into the creation of multiple systems, facilitating a structure of separate and unequal.

Charter school quality, however, is questionable. Research demonstrates that, on average, they don’t outperform traditional public schools.

The real problem with “school choice” is the creation of an unequal, tiered system that allows students to fall through the cracks. These tiers are only created when money and resources are taken away from public schools.

In the long term, this approach is unsustainable for a state serving nearly 6 million students.

The unequal distribution of resources, along with the fact that charter schools do not operate under the same rules as public schools, exacerbates the problem.

Charters claim to be “public”, but are actually run by corporations or nonprofits, rather than locally elected school boards that are accountable to parents and the community.

Charters are not subject to the same regulations as public schools. Those regulations include class size limits, student-teacher ratios, and having school nurses and counselors on site.

Also, charters can control enrollment through admission requirements like geographical location, discipline records, sibling priority, academic ability, and through dismissal and expulsion procedures that differ from those of traditional schools. This allows charters to preferentially select students who are less-expensive to educate.

When we fragment the public school system, we create more opportunity for inequity without making any real gains.

If we assume charters are a necessary alternative for some students in a “failing” school – and leave the other students behind – we are arbitrarily picking winners and losers amongst our most precious population: our children.

They need our protection, willingness, and dedication to support the public education system we have depended on for so many years, one in which all children are welcome and served.

I am so proud of our El Paso area public schools. Now more than ever, our community must remain vigilant and active in protecting them.

Just as Texas and El Paso rely on clean air, our future is dependent on the maintenance and support of our public schools.

Rep. Mary González, D-Clint, represents District 75 in the Texas House of Representatives.